Shaken
by Kat-of-the-Streets
Summary: Cora's father lost the family's fortune shortly before Robert wanted to propose. When ending their courtship Robert gives Cora the advice to become independent and find work that would make her happy. Of course, Cora and Robert meet again a few years later.
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is a story of around 15 chapters that are all around 500-800 words long.

I wrote most of this a while ago. This is more or less a feel good story. I hope that it doesn't seem too rushed.

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Chapter One – August 1889

„You cannot mean that mother. There must be a mistake. Something must have gone wrong." She stares at her mother who only shakes her head.

"No. There is no mistake. Your father has lost everything. Your inheritance, your brother's inheritance, the business, the houses in New York and Newport. All that is left is the house in Cincinnati."

She needs to sit down because this cannot be true. Her world has been shaken. They have lost almost everything. All her dreams of marrying into the English aristocracy vanish into thin air. Although those dreams have always been more of her mother's dreams than her own.

"Cora," her mother says gently and she looks at her.

"Your father and I have debated whether we should still try to arrange your marriage to Lord Downton. We know you like him and he seems very nice. But your father is afraid of going behind Lord Grantham's back. So we will just have to leave." She nods again.

"May I say goodbye to him? I don't have to tell him the truth, I only want him to know that we are leaving.

Her mother looks as if she was weighing her words very carefully and then speaks against her better judgement.

"Yes. You may say goodbye. Tell him that someone has died. Or better yet, that you have received another offer marriage. From an Astor or someone like it. Make sure he wants to forget about you."

Now it is her who nods.

"You have to do it right now. Go to Grantham House now. We are leaving tonight. Your father will try to sell off the jewelry so that we can at least afford second class tickets."

She feels numb inside when she puts on her gloves and her coat and wonders how long she will be able to keep them. They will probably have to be sold.

When she and her maid arrive at Grantham House and are let into the building she feels a wave of sadness she did not expect. It is true that the Viscount Downton has touched her heart but she knows as well as anyone that the feeling was not mutual. To him she was just the means to an end, an end she can't help him to find anymore. It might in fact be better the way it is now. She won't have to marry someone she does not like. Although she likes Lord Downton very much.

"Miss Levinson," Lady Rosamund says and she nods at her. Throwing all caution to the wind as she is never going to see these people again anyway, she asks for a private conversation with Lord Downton.

He looks at her a little bewildered but leads her into the garden none the less.

"Lord Downton," she says and he looks at her.

"I came to tell you that we are going back to America today. Something has…happened. We have to leave."

Without preamble Robert looks at her and says "Your father is broke. You received the news this morning."

"How do you know?" she asks with as much indignation as she can muster.

"We, that is to say my parents, have spies. So I already knew that you are now out of the question."

"Of course," she says and wants to look away. But Robert lightly touches her cheek and makes her look at him.

"I am sorry for you. I truly am. I want you to know that I had been planning to… I wanted to call on you… no, your father, and you of course, to, to," and then he stops speaking. It breaks her heart and she wonders what would have happened if the news had arrived in England a few weeks later.

"That is very kind of you to say and I am sorry for all your troubles with me." She feels she needs to leave or else she will start to cry. So she says

"Goodbye then Lord Downton. I don't suppose I will ever see you again." She turns around but he grabs her wrist.

"No, I don't think we will. Although my sister always says that forever is a long time. But promise me something. Make something out of your life. Don't go back to Cincinnati and play housekeeper for your parents. You are more than that. Find work. Work that makes you happy. Become independent. Because that is who you are."

She doesn't know why but she says "I promise," before she gently pulls her wrist out of Lord Downton's hand.

* * *

Please let me know what you think of this story!

Have a great day,

Kat


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for all your reviews! I am glad you like this story so much

More at the bottom.

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"Miss Levinson, your situation is not as uncommon as you might think. Many people fall on hard times these days. You seem to have some financial means, if not many, but you are very well educated and know how to conduct yourself amongst the English aristocracy. You speak French very well and German reasonably well. We will offer you a place at our school. You can begin your training tomorrow."

She feels a boulder rolling of her heart. Ever since she told her parents that she would not return to America but remain in Europe, that she would try to train as a nanny at a school in Switzerland she has doubted her decision.

But after she made her promise to Lord Downton and left to go back to her parents she saw a nanny walking by, a young woman not much older than her, taking care of two little girls. And she saw how those girls looked at their nanny. And those looks of admiration made a decision for her. She would enter service. Not as a maid, she does not know how to clean after all, but as a nanny. She is sure that she will find a family somewhere in Germany, France or England that is willing to take on an American nanny who was educated in Switzerland.

The first thing she learns on her training course, much to her surprise, is how to clean. But that is one more skill she will probably be able to put to good use.

Her education and her manners help her however and she passes the course with flying colors.

She puts advertisements into any newspaper she can think of and three weeks later she is on her way back to England to meet a Baronet and his American wife.

The Baronet and his wife are very kind to her. Their house is rather small, although a new wing is being built. She knows only too well who is paying for that wing.

"Well, Miss Levinson, I think we would like to hire you as the nanny for our son," the American lady says to her and she nods.

"When do I start?" she asks.

"Right now," the house keeper answers and hands her a mountain of cloth.

"See that you make uniform within a week. The pattern is right here."

She thanks the heavens for having learned how make clothes before her father became rich because otherwise she would be at a loss now. She never thought that she would have to use this skill for anything else but to make dolls' and maybe baby clothes. But you never know what is coming. And she is American. Have gun. Will travel.

And so she watches little Christian Harris and tries to teach him not to kick the dog and eat with utensils. She thought she might feel a little lonely but it seems that Lady Harris had not only been looking for a nanny for her son but also for an American companion for herself. She joins them often in the nursery and wants to talk about America.

When her mother writes to her to ask how she was she truthfully writes back that she is happy. She may have fallen but she has not fallen too hard. Even though she still sometimes dreams of hiring a nanny instead of being one.

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A/N: I hope this isn't too rushed but I did not want to dwell on Cora attending a school in Switzerland too much because her training is not esssential for the story. Although this of course a candidate for an outtake :)  
Again thank you so much for all your reviews and please let me know, what you think about this chapter.

Have a great day everyone,  
Kat


	3. Chapter 3

AN: First of all, thank you very much for all the reviews! I really appreciate them and they are what keep me going.

I am sorry I took so long to update but I have been drowing in work and I am not really sure converning how to end this story, so that has been keeping on hold as well.

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Chapter 3 - October 1892

"What?" he says and feels himself begin to sway.

"I am very sorry Robert," his father says.

"But that can't be. Mary, what am I to tell her?"

"That her mother died falling of a horse."

That seems to be the truth. He cannot believe it. His wife is dead. She is dead. And has left him with a little girl. Tears sting his eyes and he tries to hide them.

"I thought you did not love her," his father says and he wonders how he can be the son of such an unfeeling man.

"No. I did not love Victoria. But she is the mother of my child. She loved Mary as much as I do."

His father only shrugs.

"Well, as I said, I am sorry for your loss."

"It is your loss too. She was your daughter-in-law." But again his father only shrugs.

He paces around the library and wonders what he should say to Mary. The girl is only one and a half years old but she will notice that her mother is gone. He is sure that Mary will forget Victoria, will in all likelihood have forgotten her by Christmas. And it breaks his heart.

His mother seems to have waited for him in front of the nursery. Why, he cannot fathom. She says

"Tell her the truth Robert. Be gentle but tell her truth." She then gently touches his hand and he knows that this was her way of saying sorry.

"Mama!" Mary says the moment he enters her room and he wants to leave, run away and hide and let someone else tell Mary that her mother won't come back.

But he is her father, he has to do this. So he motions for the nanny to leave the room and puts Mary on his lap.

"Mary," he says and his daughter stares at him with her brown eyes.

"Mary, your mother has had an accident. A very bad accident. She was hurt. She won't come back."

"Mama," Mary says again and he shakes his head.

"No Mary. I am sorry. Your Mama is not coming back." He doesn't know whether Mary understood him but she turns around and buries her head in his shoulder and begins to sob.

.

The funeral is a horrible affair. Mary has been left at the Abbey of course but she has been crying for her mother for days now and he does not have the heart to leave her to the nanny at night.

He himself misses Victoria more than he thought he would. He misses talking to her in the nursery and after dinner. And they had after all been trying to conceive another child for quite some time now. He misses her physical closeness more than he thought he would.

I hope you liked this chapter although I admit that it does have a sad note to it.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Let me know what you think about this chapter.

Love,

Kat


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

AN:Thank you for all your reviews! I wrote this chapter weeks ago but it still seems rushed to me. I hope you like it

Teacher training didn't work the way I describe it here but I took some literary freedom. I am also not sure that an unmarried female teacher would have been allowed to live by herself but again I took some literary freedom. I hope that is alright.

* * *

March 1895 to May 1896

"Master Christian, come here," she says and the boy turns around. He is six years old now and she is sure that she will be exchanged for a tutor soon as there have been no other children for the family. She will miss Master Christian and Lady Harris, but there is nothing she can do about it. She is sure that she will be given a very good character and that is what matters. She will find another job, a new child, maybe new children to let touch her heart.

She has thought about this a lot, she would in fact like to work in a larger house, one with more servants, one with more children, maybe girls, so that she would be able to stay and make some friends among the other servants.

Because she is an honest person she tells Lady Harrison of her plans.

"As it is, Nanny Levinson, we must ask you to leave anyway. Master Christian is now old enough for a tutor. Sir Thomas wants him to attend Eton of course and he must be properly prepared. But we will give you a glowing character. In fact, I have it right here. But I would like to make a suggestion. Don't look for another post as a nanny. Become a teacher. You taught Master Christian so much and you were a wonderful nanny. But I don't think that is where it ends for you. I know you have saved almost all of your money. Use it to go to a teachers' college. And then find a school. If you need any help, we are certainly willing to give it."

She knows of course that Lady Harrison does not mean financial help but she may in fact not need it in any case. It is true, she saved almost all of her money. For what she did not know but she did. It might be enough. When Lord and Lady Harrison give her three months wages as a leaving present she enrolls at a teachers' college in London.

.

It takes a year and all of her savings to finish teachers' college but when she holds the certificate in her hands she feels very proud of herself.

She has already looked for open positions and as luck seems to be on her side she is invited to a small school in North Yorkshire. In fact, it is the Downton Village school that wants to interview her and she is very well aware of who the principal local family is. But she doubts that she will ever meet any of them and even if that happened, they would not remember her, possibly with the exception of Lord Downton. But he told her to make something of herself, so he shouldn't be too shocked.

Four days later she is offered the position at the school and takes it. She knows the school is not financed by the estate or they would have protested having an American teacher. But the villagers seem to be happy to finally have found a replacement for the old teacher.

She is to share teaching with one colleague, her principal subjects being English and basic mathematics. Her cottage is on the Grantham estate but she doubts that they even know her name. And for almost three months she has no contact with the family whatsoever. Until one Saturday afternoon.

"Miss?" A little girl is tucking at her coat. She is almost sure that this must be a daughter of either Robert or his sister because the girl is very well dressed.

"Yes?" she asks and looks around for the child's nanny. The child cannot have come here by herself. They are in the middle of the village square.

"I cannot find my Papa." The quiver in the girl's voice breaks her heart.

"Where did you see him last?"

"Over there," the girls says and points to the shop that sells the best sweets in town.

"Did he give you a treat?" she asks and the girl nods.

"Yes. But now I have lost him. And I don't know," but then girl begins to cry uncontrollably and she cannot understand a word she says.

So she picks her up and carries her to the store. Maybe the father, in all likelihood Robert, is still in there. But there is only the shopkeeper. But he at least can confirm that the girl who is now sobbing into her shoulder uncontrollably is Lady Mary, daughter of Lord Downton.

It isn't very far to the estate so she decides to take the girl there. There is nothing else she can do with her anyway. She will just drop her off and leave. There should be no difficulty about this. The butler or the nanny will take her. She'll bring her to the servants' entrance.

Mary calms down but when she asks her to walk the girl vehemently shakes her head. So she keeps carrying her. It isn't far anymore, although she will have to walk around the house to find the servants' entrance. Her arms begin to hurt with the weight of the child but there is nothing she can do about that.

"Mary," she hears someone yell. "Mary! Mary!" The voice is sounds like a thunderstorm, full of raw panic.

She turns towards the screaming voice and then asks Mary "Is that your Papa?" The girl nods, wriggles out of her arms and runs towards her father who bents down to catch her.

"Oh Mary, I am so glad you are back. I thought I had lost you."

Robert then walks towards her, talking to Mary all the while. When he is in front of her he turns his attention away from the child and to her. He looks at her and stares.

"So it is you. At the village school," he says. "My father mentioned it but I didn't believe it." This all sounds rather condescending.

Robert then literally shakes himself and says "I am sorry. That did not sound right. Thank you so much. Where did you find her?"

"She found me. She tucked at my coat and told me that she had lost her Papa. The salesman in the candy shop told me who she was so I brought her home."

"Thank you so very much," Robert says again, turns around and leaves.

She does not know what she expected but it wasn't this. Fighting disappointment and tears she returns to the village.

* * *

Let me know what you think!

Have a great day everyone,

Kat


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Thank you for all the reviews!

I know Robert's reaction wasn't very kind at the end of last chapter :) So you might enjoy this chapter a little more ;)

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May 1896 - 3 days later

.

She is glad the day is over. It is warm outside, the first day of summer, and the children were restless. Most of them are well behaved but they don't view schoolwork as very important. Especially not on a day like this. So she packs her things to go home and wants to say "go away" when she hears a knock on the door. She is sure it is the mother of another 10 year old who is going to tell her that her daughter or son won't come to school anymore because he or she found a place in service.

"Miss Levinson?"

She looks up and sees Robert standing in the door.

"Lord Downton," she says and feels herself blush.

He seems to have understood this as an invitation to come into the room.

"I am terribly sorry to interrupt. But I wanted to thank you again for returning Mary. And I think I owe you an apology for the way I acted after you returned her. I was very worried about her and my relief at seeing her unharmed made me forget my manners."

"You have nothing to apologize for," she says because she knows that this is what she is supposed to say.

Robert hovers and looks around the room. She is sure he wants to say something else but she does not want to hear it.

"Lord Downton, is there anything else I can do for you?"

He looks at her and smiles.

"You listened to me. When I told you not to go back to America but to become independent you listened to me."

She wishes he hadn't referred to that period of her life. It is over and done with.

"Yes. It was good advice. To my own surprise I find that I prefer living in England to living in America. The reason for this might be the fact that there is an ocean between my mother and me now, I am not sure."

Robert breaks into loud laughter now.

"Yes. Sometimes I wish there was ocean between Lady Grantham and myself."

She raises her eyebrows now because Robert is not supposed to talk to her in that manner, not anymore.

"You don't seem to think very highly of your mother," she says but he shakes his head.

"On the contrary. I admire her. But sometimes that is best done from a distance."

"Lord Downton, I do not think that Lady Downton would appreciate you talking to me in this manner. Especially if she ever were to find out that," she looks at him imploringly now.

"There is no Lady Downton," Robert says. He seems neither sad not happy when he says that. He seems resigned.

"Why?" she blurts out and wants to bite her tongue off.

"She died about four years ago. It was a riding accident. It is bad for Mary of course. She was only 18 months old when it happened and she does not remember her mother but she knows she once had a mother and she misses her. It is difficult to explain. And here we are complaining about our own mothers."

"I am sorry, I did not know." There is nothing she could have done differently but she still feels as if there was something she should have said or done.

"And now my parents are sending me on a hunt for new wife. I need an heir after all. But at least I don't need money. So maybe I will be able to give into my heart this time. I wish you well, Miss Levinson," Robert says, puts his hat back on his head and leaves.

Only when she is in bed later that night does she realize what exactly Robert said. He may of course have been talking about someone else, may not have been talking about her, but there is a little voice that tells her that she was who she was talking about. That had he been able to give into his heart he would have chosen her. Her stomach somersaults at this thought but she tries to ignore it. Robert won't care for her now, she will probably never talk to him again.

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AN (again): Please let me know what you think about this chapter.

I am thinking about writing a longer story or rather a story with longer chapters again. It would be set around 1924-1926 and Simon Bricker would be in it as well. I always thought that Julian Fellowes wasted potential with that story line (don't worry, I don't think that he should have made Robert and Cora go through a divorce). Well, actually I think he wasted a lot potentional with how he put so much Robert/Cora to the sidelines. I understand that he did it in favor of the Mary/Matthew story line because they were a perfect couple and I wish Dan hadn't left because again, that was wasted potential. But I think that besides Mary/Matthew, Robert/Cora should have been the focus of the show.

I can't make any promises about this new story though but I hope that I will have a little less work in the months to come (although that may turn out not to be true).

Enough of my rambling.

Have a great day everyone!


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews, both on this story and on _How far did you fall?_!

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June 1896

"May I come in?" he asks and she has to hide a smile. She had known he would come to see her because he comes to see her every Tuesday and Friday.

"Of course, Lord Downton."

She had been very wrong when she assumed that she would never talk to Robert again. He has suddenly become very interested in the school. Of course all his visits are charity visits, he shows great interest in the school and he and his family have supported the school with quite a bit of money.

But as soon as the door is closed, when they have very quickly talked about the school enough for Robert to report something back to his father, they talk about other things. Life. Art. Politics.

"We are leaving for London the day after tomorrow," Robert says. She expected this. And she longs for a season in London. Or anywhere. She wants to dance again.

"Enjoy your time there. And good luck."

"With what?" Robert asks.

"Finding a wife," she explains and he gives a chuckle.

"I am afraid that will be what I will have to do. I need a wife and Mary needs a mother."

"Good luck," she says again. "May you find love."

"Thank you," Robert says gets up turns around, walks a few steps, turns back to her and says "I will miss you while I am in London."

She nods and smiles and waves him off. And she keeps all thoughts of what that means at bay. She cannot and she will not begin to dream of him again.

.

A few days later

"Miss Levinson?" a small voice asks her and she turns around.

"Lady Mary," she says and smiles at the girl.

The girl looks a little forlorn so she asks "Where is your nanny?"

"At home."

"You came here all by yourself?" she asks.

"Yes."

"You are five."

"I know. Old enough to walk to the village by myself I think."

"I think not," Cora replies but Mary only shrugs.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you about America. Papa said you came here from America. I have never been there but I saw it on one of Grandpapa's maps. And now I want to know all about it."

"So you walked here all by yourself. Without telling anyone, I imagine."

"Yes," Mary says and she marvels at the girl's cheek.

"Lady Mary, we will walk back to the Abbey now. Your nanny will be worried about you. But on our way there you may ask me questions about America."

"Must we go back?" Mary asks and she gives a chuckle.

"Yes we must. If you don't return soon, your nanny will send a telegram to your Papa and you don't want to worry him, do you?"

Mary shakes her head and so they leave.

There is nothing she has to do anyway. The school year is over after all. She will tutor the son of a family in the next village over the summer. He is at Eton but struggling and she supposes that it will not be pleasant. But it will pass the time and she will be able to save a little bit of money. What for she does not know but having something to fall back on never hurts.

Mary peppers her with questions and when they arrive at the Abbey the nanny comes walking towards them.

The moment Cora sees the expression on the nanny's face she knows why Mary sought out someone else.

"Lady Mary. Where have you been? How dare you?"

"Lady Mary came to me to thank me again. She only meant well. And she asked me to take her back home right away. She understands that she should not have run away like that. But as I said, she meant well."

Luckily Mary nods enthusiastically and the nanny seems to believe them.

"Miss Levinson?" Mary asks again. "Could I come see you tomorrow?"

She doesn't know what to say but feels a little sorry for the girl.

"I will be at the school house at three tomorrow. If your nanny agrees you may visit me. But you may not walk to the village by yourself."

The nanny huffs. "I will send a footman with her then."

Cora is quite sure that the prospect of a Mary free afternoon resonates very well with this particular nanny.

.

The boy she tutors in the morning is what she expected. Years behind. She is not surprised he is struggling at Eton. He is also rather dull so she actually looks forward to seeing five year old Lady Mary in the afternoon. That girl is everything but dull.

* * *

I really hope you liked this chapter! Please let me know what you think!

Have a great day everyone,  
Kat


	7. Chapter 7

July 1896

.

"She is where?" he asks Carson in astonishment.

"At the school house with Miss Levinson. She has spent almost every afternoon there for the past six weeks. Miss Levinson insists she does not mind."

"What is Lady Mary doing there?"

"Apparently she is now learning how to read."

He nods. "I will go to the school house then."

He can hardly believe that Mary would go the school house so regularly. But he has always suspected her nanny of being lazy so it makes sense that she did not say no. And Mary is a curious child.

"He walked to the … other… side of the… street," Mary reads out, sitting next to Cora. He is amazed.

"Mary," he says and his little girl whips around, jumps up and runs to him.

"Papa, what are you doing here?" she asks

"I came to visit you. There are three days without social engagements and I thought I would surprise you."

"I can read Papa," Mary blurts out and Cora says "yes you can. But you have to keep practicing."

"Thank you Miss Levinson. We will pay for these lessons of course," he says but Cora shakes her head.

"Your daughter is a joy to teach."

"Then I will personally drop her off tomorrow," he says. What he actually wants is to leave Mary at home but he cannot do that and he cannot think that.

The next day when he brings Mary to the school house the girl becomes very interested in a book at the far corner of the room that Cora points out to her. Once Mary is busy reading the book, Cora walks over to her.

"Thank you again for teaching her."

Cora nods. "How is the season?" she asks and he is painfully reminded of the fact that they spent one season together in London.

"As the season is. Balls, parties, ladies."

Cora laughs at this.

"So the wife hunt has been successful?"

The term makes him shiver. But it is what he is doing. Hunting for a suitable wife.

"There are two or three candidates. More are interested of course. I don't have a son yet and Mary doesn't count to many of the ladies and their parents. I am also not ancient, so apparently I am the catch of the season."

"I am not surprised," Cora says and smiles at him.

"I have to think about it carefully. Victoria, my first wife, and I were content. We got along, we had formed a friendship. I want that again."

"Don't you want love?" Cora asks and he shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't think that love is among the things I can expect in a marriage. Being reasonably happy is probably already more than I should hope for."

* * *

AN: Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter!

Let me know what you think about this chapter!

Have a great day,

Kat


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Again, sorry for the long wait. As happens from time to time I was overcome by doubts concerning my own writing and considered giving up fanfiction completely (it does take up a lot of time) but I like too much :)

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. Updates for this story should be coming regularly now.

And thank you for all the reviews that have been written for this story and other stories that I wrote, particularly "The Mistress He Loves" !

Kat

* * *

Chapter 8

July 1896

.

She goes through her mail and almost drops everything she is holding in her hand when she sees a letter sent to her by Lady Rosamund Painswick. It is an invitation to a ball. Addressed to her. She cannot believe it, there must be a mistake. She cannot go. Then a note falls out of the envelope.

"Dear Miss Levinson,

Mr. Painswick and I would be very pleased to meet you again. Lord Downton will attend this ball, Lord and Lady Grantham are engaged elsewhere."

She has to laugh. And on a whim decides to go. The worst that could happen is an embarrassing scene. But she does not have to see those people again so she might as well enjoy herself. And she needs to buy a dress. But as she has a little money put by, she thinks that she can afford one. Clearly not one as nice as the dresses she used to have, a dress that will make her out as poorer than the other people in attendance but one that will not leave her a laughing stock.

She wasn't sure whether the invitation included a room at Painswick House but a day after she had sent her answer to London, Lady Rosamund had personally written her letter, inviting her to stay for two days. She has no idea why Lady Rosamund does this but she accepts it. And mutes the thoughts that tell her exactly why Lady Rosamund is so friendly and welcoming towards her. Because she is a good sister and wants her brother happy. But she cannot think those thoughts. Neither can she think of a different explanation.

.

She is more nervous than she thought she would be and hopes that no one notices it. In fact no one notices her at all, which she does not mind. She does not want to be asked awkward questions. That is until Robert arrives and she turns around the moment he is announced.

Never in all her life has anyone looked at her like that.

"What are you doing here?" he asks as soon as he manages to get to her.

"Your sister invited me."

"Did she?"

.

He asks Cora to dance. She is Rosamund's guests and seems a little forlorn. That is the only reason he asks her. And because he wants to talk to her. And because, but he cannot go that far, he cannot think those thoughts.

"We haven't danced together in years," he says and Cora smiles at him.

"No. But I'd say we are rather good at it."

That is true. They seem to fit together very well.

After the dance they join Rosamund and Maramduke.

"Are any of your candidates here yet, Lord Downton?" Cora asks him and Rosamund starts laughing. He has no clue why.

"No," he says. "I wonder why, though," he says and looks at Rosamund.

"Because the winner is here," his sister says and he has no idea what he is talking about. Although in fact he does but he cannot think about that, he must not think about it. It is unthinkable and would be horrible for both of them. There would too much gossip and his parents would have a fit.

* * *

Please let me know what you think!


	9. Chapter 9

August 1896

.

"May I come in?" Robert asks again and she has to laugh. She had no idea he was back at the Abbey.

"Of course," she says and wants to smile at him but the serious expression his face tells her that this is not a laughing matter. She knows what is coming.

"I only came home for two days. To get a ring," he says.

She is disappointed but not much.

"So you have made your decision."

"Yes. I think she expects a family heirloom. I found a nice ring that belonged to my grandmother."

"Who is she?"

"The Honourable Maria Stonewell. Daughter of Baron Stonewell. She is nice, she says she likes children and the country. I am sure she and Mary will get along. And I will get along with her as well."

She should not ask this question but of course she does. "Do you love her?"

"No, I don't love her. I couldn't love anyone else as long as," but Robert does not finish the sentence.

She should not look at him now but of course she does. Robert stares at her so intently that it hardly leaves any doubt what he was about to say. She wishes he had.

"Well, Miss Levinson, wish me luck," he says and leaves her with a strange feeling in her heart. It isn't broken but it isn't complete anymore either.

.

"Have you lost your mind?" Rosamund asks him and he has no idea why she attacks him like that.

"You want to propose to Maria Stonewell?"

"Is she not good enough for you?" he shoots back and Rosamund shakes her head in exasperation.

"She is not good enough for you Robert."

"What? Where am I supposed to find someone better? I have to marry someone I get along with. I don't care if she is only the daughter of a baron. Grandfather was a baron too."

Rosamund shakes her head again.

"Robert, how blind can you be? This is not about titles and ranks. This is about love. You could find love, you have already found it. You found it years ago. I understand that you did not follow your heart then but you should do it now."

"What would you like me to do?" he asks and he is afraid of the answer.

"I would like you to get back onto the train to Downton, go home, get a more meaningful ring, go to the School House, get down one knee and ask Cora Levinson to marry you."

"Mama and Papa will not allow it."

"Who cares? If they try to stop it, elope."

"We will end up in the gossip columns."

"Every storm blows over Robert. Cora is from our social sphere. More or less at least. She knows how to behave. She won't embarrass the family but I gather that she would make you very happy."

He thinks about what his sister said later that night in bed. For the first time in months he lets the thought that he always tried to mute run away with him. Marry Cora. Sleep next to her. Sleep with her.

'Oh dear God,' he thinks when he notices how much he would like all of this.

* * *

AN: For some reason I have always imagined Rosamund as very supportive of Robert's marriage to Cora. To me, Rosamund appears rather practical and in my head she knows her brother quite well and knew that Cora and he would be very happy if he allowed it to happen.

Let me know what you think!

Kat


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

.

August 1896

.

After a restless night of thinking the unthinkable, of imagining what he should not imagine, of dreaming what he should not dream, he decides to do what he should not do.

He returns to Downton, looks for his grandmother's engagement ring, walks to the School House and thinks he should not do this.

He is already on his way back when Cora walks towards him.

"Lord Downton," she says cheerfully. "Are you to be congratulated?"

"I haven't asked her yet," he chokes out. "I have had second thoughts."

"Well, it isn't too late yet," she says and smiles.

That smile does him in. 'I love her, I love her, I love her,' is the only thought in his head.

"No, I don't think it is," he says. "Would you like to go for a walk?" he asks. "I want to show you something."

Cora looks surprised but pleasantly so.

He leads her towards the Abbey. He has never been so nervous in his life. And he wonders what she is thinking. Although thankfully she doesn't ask any questions. She keeps talking about a boy she tutors in the mornings and about how much she can't wait for the school year to start again so that she could resume her normal teaching again.

"If you were to marry, would you want to continue teaching?" he asks her while he leads her past the Abbey towards a secluded spot.

"That would depend on the husband. If we could use the money I surely would. I like the work. But if there were other things,"

"What are other things?" he asks.

"I was educated to run a huge household. Like yours. I would like to do that very much. So if my future husband would, for example, make me a viscountess, I would stop working as teacher. But I would like to do charity work."

"Would you like to be a viscountess?" he asks and Cora's face turns bright red. Apparently she only realized what she was saying now.

"That would depend on the man that came with the title," she says and tilts her head.

'Alright then,' he thinks and drops onto one knee. The smile on Cora's face could turn a thunderstorm into a sunny day.

"Miss Cora Levinson, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" he asks and Cora gives a small laugh. She takes a deep breath and says "Yes".

So he puts his grandmother engagement ring onto the fourth finger of Cora's left hand, gets up and kisses her. He knows he should stop but he can't. He has repressed his feelings for her for the past months, probably the past years. And Cora does not seem to want to stop either.

They stagger towards a tree, he pushes Cora against that tree and wonders how far they will go when he hears a booming voice yell "ROBERT!".

He turns around and stares not only at his father but also at his mother.

"What are you doing?" she hisses. "We thought you would propose to Maria Stonewell. If you need to have a mistress, don't keep her on our estate."

He wants to say something but Cora is faster than he is.

"Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, I am sure Lord Downton does not want to make me his mistress," she says. His father seems a little relieved, his mother is becoming more agitated.

"Then why was he kissing you like that?" she asks.

"Because she has just accepted my offer of marriage," he says.

"What?" his father asks.

"I proposed to her and she said yes."

"Her father lost all the family money years ago," his own father says.

"I know. If that hadn't happened we would have been married for years now. I am about to rectify that now. We will get married and there is nothing you can do."

"We will stop that," his mother says. "You cannot marry a teacher."

With that his parents take off and Cora looks at him questioningly.

"They also told Rosamund she couldn't marry a banker. But she did marry him. We will get married, I promise," he says to Cora, who nods, smiles and then resumes their kissing.


	11. Chapter 11

AN: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! I hope you like this chapter as well.

Before I forget: If you haven't started reading From Paris to Yorkshire by Countess of Cobert yet you should start right now. It is brilliant :)

* * *

Two weeks later

.

"You are not marrying her."

"Watch me," he says because he is sick of it. His mother has repeated this sentence at least a hundred times now and he does not care.

When two weeks ago, he asked Cora to marry him, he went to London the next day and settled everything for a wedding at a registrar's office. Rosamund and Maramduke will be there to witness it. Both Cora and he are of age, so they do not need parental consent.

"We will certainly not watch you marry that teacher because you will not marry her."

He shrugs and does not reply. His mother is driving him mad and she drove Rosamund mad and yet his sister is married to the man she loves and her mother pretends to hate. Of course Rosamund and Marmaduke don't have to live at the Abbey but he is sure that his mother will accept his decision eventually. And if she doesn't they will have to live somewhere else. His father would probably let them live at Eryholme.

"We will talk about this again," she says and walks towards the door. But she does not leave the room before saying

"Patrick. Do something." His father nods and he wishes he did not have to face him now but he also knew that this was coming.

"You are planning to marry her three days from today in London," his father says without preamble but also without anger in his voice. He somehow sounds resigned.

"Yes. I am not surprised your spies found out about it."

"Your mother's spies, Robert."

"So what are you going to do?"

"There is nothing I can do Robert besides trying to make you reconsider. You are about to marry a teacher. A nanny. She used to be a rich heiress but she isn't anymore. And even before her father's fall she would hardly have been acceptable and we only would have allowed a marriage because we needed the money. But this is something, you, the family, Mary, might never recover from. The Earl of Grantham married to a nanny. An American nanny I might add."

"She is not a nanny anymore." He knew his parents would argue about this again.

"Robert, don't you see that that does not matter? She is not for you. She is too far below you. If you and Victoria had had a son I might have agreed but that American cannot be the mother of your heir. That is out of the question. He would never be accepted by society. And neither will you."

His father has a point. He thought about him not being accepted but not about his son facing the same difficulties and he begins to doubt. He wonders whether he has the heart to tell Cora about his doubts. She would surely not hold him to their engagement.

He is dimly aware of his father walking towards the door and opening it and he thinks that he has left when the older man suddenly sits down opposite him again.

"Your mother has gone. She has heard me say what she wanted me to say."

"So there won't be trouble in your marriage tonight."

His father gives a snort that sounds as if he thought that there was no marriage but does not comment.

"Robert, pack your things and go to London. Then send a telegram to your American and make her come after you. Get married as soon as you can before your mother can intervene."

"What?" he can't believe what he is hearing. "You just said that it would be a terrible mistake, that I would engulf us all in scandal, that"

But his father interrupts him.

"All scandals fade. Give it two weeks or four or eight until the next son of the next earl or marquess or duke gets drunk and compromises a girl in public or loses all his fortune gambling. If you can't stand the scandal go to America for a while. But get married."

"I thought you were against it."

"The fact is Robert, that I rather like your Cora. I've always liked her. She is sensible and contrary to what your mother says, she would make a good countess. I could not stand having a daughter-in-law I hated. I have to see her every day for the rest of my life. And if there is one young woman in this world who I can stand and you love, then by all means, make her your wife."

"Mama won't accept her. Mama will fight her."

"Your Mama would fight any woman you married. She wasn't very fond of Victoria either. She will see your wife as a threat."

His father is right. Lady Downton is a threat to the authority of Lady Grantham in his mother's eyes. His mother would have approved of Maria Stonewell only for a few weeks. Then she would have begun a fight.

So he gets and his father does the same. His father claps his shoulder and grabs his hand.

"Good luck my dear boy. I will see you in a few days."

* * *

AN: Please let me know what you think!


	12. Chapter 12

AN: Everyone, thank you so much for the reviews on the last chapter and for all the reviews I've been getting on _The Mistress He Loves_ recently. They motivate me to write more! And there is a multi chapter story (with long chapters!) that has been circling around the back of my mind but somehow I am afraid of starting because I am afraid I'll never finish it. But we'll see.

I hope you like this chapter. Let me know what you think!

Kat

* * *

September 1896

.

"Martha!" he yells. He cannot believe it. His daughter is walking up to their house. The daughter who refused to return to America with them, the daughter who preferred working as a nanny to living a middle class life. Of course she is now a teacher but she could have been a teacher here as well.

"Martha!" he calls again and his wife joins him in the hallway.

"What is it?"

"Cora," he says and points out the window next to their door.

"I don't believe it," his wife says and then asks "who is that with her?"

He hadn't even noticed that there was someone walking beside her.

"I don't believe it," Martha says the moment the doorbell rings.

He opens the door himself and stares not only into his daughter's face but also into the face of Lord Downton.

"What are you doing here?" he asks and Cora smiles at him.

"Visiting you on our honeymoon," she says and he is lost for words.

"Homeymoon?" Martha shrieks and he has no idea what all the fuss is about.

"Yes Mother. If you were kind enough to let us in, we could explain."

He sees Lord Downton putting his hand on the small of Cora's back and gently helping her across the threshold. He has no idea what all this means.

"She married him Isidore," Martha whispers to him. "She married him. God knows how she did it but she will be the Countess of Grantham."

Slowly he starts to understand. His daughter got married without telling him and she married a future earl. He has no idea what this means for him but he knows that it can only mean that things are about to improve.

Cora and Lord Downton tell them a story about love that had been surpressed for months and Lord Downton's father and sister intervening and them eloping to London of all places and getting married against Lady Grantham's explicit wishes.

"What did your mother say after the wedding?" Martha asks Lord Downton and the young man starts to cough.

"We haven't told her yet," Lord Downton says and looks a little sheepishly.

"Lord Grantham will have broken the news," Cora adds and then continues "and it is best we were not there to witness it."

"So you fled to America," Martha replies with quite a lot of mirth in her voice.

"Cora thought we would be save here," Lord Grantham says and she nods.

"You won't give as away Mother, will you?"

"Of course we won't," his wife replies and he nods. "We wouldn't dream of it, my girl," he says and Cora nods.

"I suppose you are staying at a fancy hotel but Harold's room is free," he continues and Cora nods again.

"That would be very kind. Thank you. You wouldn't mind staying here Robert, would you?"

"No," his son-in-law replies. "Not in the slightest."

Over the next few days he is able to observe his daughter and her aristocratic husband. They seem a good match despite their different backgrounds.

.

.

They have been staying at her parents' home for almost three weeks now and they have been in America for more than six. It is enough.

"Cora," he says and she turns around to look at him. She is so lovely when she wakes up in the morning.

"What?" she asks still half asleep.

"As much as I have enjoyed meeting your parents, it is time for us to return to England."

"I know," she says and sits up in bed.


	13. Chapter 13

First of all, thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! And of course for your encouragement.

I am sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, but real life is rather busy. I hope that I'll find a little more time during the Christmas Holidays.

Have a great day everyone,

Kat

* * *

October 1896

.

She is fuming. Rosamund should have told her that Robert and his American wife have returned to England. But of course she didn't. Her children have always been as thick as thieves, especially when it comes to undermining her.

Now she is stuck at Rosamund's stupid house party. She cannot leave and she will have to face seeing Robert and Cora who have not yet arrived. Worse than that, she will have to pretend she agrees with their marriage without being able to give them a piece of her mind first. It is driving her mad.

Patrick on the other hand seems wholly unconcerned and she wonders why. She is sure that Patrick is not as against Robert's marriage as she is, but he cannot support it. His son married to an American nanny. But maybe he has just accepted what they cannot change. Anything they tried to do against the marriage now would lead to an even worse scandal than the one they are already facing.

"The Viscount and Viscountess Downton" the butler announces and she turns to see her son his wife enter the room. They are both smiling and a few heads turn but nobody seems to be surprised and the muttering amongst the guest becomes much more pronounced when the butler announces Mr. and Mrs. Hurst only half a minute later. Mrs. Hurst is obviously pregnant and there are rumors that the father is not Mr. Hurst. This seems to interest the people around her much more than the marriage of a viscount to a nanny.

"We have to go and greet them," Patrick says and gives her slight shove.

He is right, of course and so they walk towards Cora and Robert.

"Welcome home," Patrick says when he pats Robert on the back and then kisses Cora's cheek.

"Thank you," they say in unison and that American accent makes her stomach clench.

.

Cora knew this would be coming. It is the day after the house party and she and Robert stayed at Rosamund's house. She would have to face her mother-in-law at some point. She will in all likelihood have to share a house with her from now on. Robert mentioned something about them possibly living in another home on the far side of the estate but she knows her husband well enough to not kid herself into believing he really would not mind not living at Downton. He cares about it too much.

So here she is, facing her mother-in-laws wrath. At least Robert is at her side.

"How could you?" the Countess spats at them and she feels Robert shrinking next to her.

"How could you have done that to us Robert? How could you engulf us in scandal like that? This is not what we raised you to be. And you," Violet says and turns to Cora. "You should have had more honor than to turn my son's head again. You should never have accepted a position so close to our estate, you should have known that it was indecent. You should have stayed away."

She doesn't know what to say so she just stares at her mother-in-law.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself?" Still she can only shrug because she does not know what to say.

"I thought you were at least intelligent. Evil, but intelligent. Coming to Downton and worming your way back into our lives. But apparently you are not even that."

She feels tears sting her eyes but she is determined not to let them fall.

"If it made any sense I would ban you two from Downton. But I can't. It would make this scandal even worse. But I will fight you tooth and nail on everything. You won't know what has hit you, Lady Downton," Violet spats and then turns around and leaves them.

* * *

Let me know what you think!


	14. Chapter 14

Nearly a year later

.

"Stop scowling, Violet," his father says to his mother.

"Why would I? A year ago today Robert caused our family more embarrassment than anyone else ever has."

He cringes at those words. The gossips, both local and in London, had of course talked about his marriage to Cora but once it had become clear that Cora was not some trollop but a very well educated woman who knew how to conduct herself in society, the gossip had died down. People are still curious about her of course and there will always be muffled talk in the background but to him it doesn't seem much more as it would have been had he married her as a rich American heiress years ago.

His mother however has not relented. She alternates between ignoring Cora completely and treating her like an insolent daft child.

"I would not say that is true considering how much and more than that how many women my grandfather loved. His affair with the Duchess of Suffolk caused much more of a scandal than Robert's marriage to a nice American girl. Even if his choice was slightly exotic."

"Slightly exotic? She is a nanny, Patrick!" his mother yells.

He wonders if his father is going to answer but he can hear footsteps and a minute later his father opens the door and is standing right in front of him.

"You said she would get used to Cora eventually," he says more accusingly than he intended.

"Yes. It appears I was wrong. Your mother is unpredictable to me." His father storms away then and he wishes there was something he could do. Something to make his mother see Cora, really see her and not only her family's ruin and her brief period as a nanny and as a teacher.

.

"To Cora and Robert. May their marriage be a long and happy one," his father says and toasts them. Rosamund and Marmaduke get up and drink to them as well, his mother however remains in her seat.

"Mama," Rosmamund hisses but gets no reply. Cora only rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Dinner is not as bad as he thought it would be. Rosamund and Marmaduke carry most of the conversation and his mother seems to have opted for silence, so there are no remarks directed towards Cora. But he knows that this is only a temporary respite. He needs to do something and he knows what it is he needs to do. He needs to convince Cora to move to Eryholme with him and Mary. Their own house where they will be able to live in peace.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

.

10 years later

.

"Robert. Robert!" He does not want to be woken. He has only just fallen asleep. Rosamund and Maramduke are staying with them and he and his sister spent the evening in the library, gossiping about their mother and drinking the scotch that Rosamund stole from their father's library the day before. And now Cora is shaking him and refuses to stop.

"Robert, please!" He then realizes that her voice is quivering and reluctantly sits up. He looks at her and takes in her appearance. He sees how pale she is and tear tracks on her cheeks. His heart plummets past his stomach down to his knees.

"Is it one of the girls?" he asks and when Cora shakes her head he feels relieved.

"It is your father, Robert." He knows what she is going to say before she does. He can see in her eyes which have turned to grey that his father is dead.

"He must have had a heart attack. There was nothing that could be done." He nods and gets up. "I have to tell Rosamund," he mumbles but feels Cora grab his wrist.

"She already knows. Marmaduke and she are on their way to the Abbey. Rosamund said she wanted to help your mother and give you some time to adjust. And we need to tell the girls."

He nods. That is what they need to do. Tell their daughters that their grandfather has died. It will be especially hard on Mary who after all spent the first few years of her life sharing a house with her grandparents.

"We'll tell them tomorrow," he says. "Let them sleep."

Cora nods and opens her mouth to say something but he does not want to talk, not right now. His father is dead. He needs to deal with this alone.

.

"How are you?" Cora asks him very gently, but he can't answer. He is sure that Cora knows that he didn't go back to sleep. There are too many things on his mind.

"I lost my father," he says and she nods. She gently touches his arm and he lets. "I am so sorry," she says and he nods. He cannot speak. Tears are threatening to run down his face.

He is not surprised when Cora accompanies him to breakfast. On a day like this she won't leave his side and he is thankful for it.

"We have to talk to the girls," he says after having eaten two bites of toast and nearly spit them onto his plate.

Cora very gently grabs his hand and draws circles on it. "Robert, we should talk about how much we tell them."

"What do you mean? Their grandfather is dead. That is what we'll tell them."

"Of course," Cora says and smiles a sad and understanding smile. "But do we tell them that you are the Earl of Grantham now? Or that we will have to move very soon?"

It hits him then that he has suddenly become the Earl of Grantham. He cannot remember not knowing that the title would one day be his but it always seemed so far in the future. And now that day has come. But one thing he does not understand.

"Why do we have to move? And where?"

Cora looks as if it was rather hard for her to say what she is about to say.

"The Abbey. The Earl of Grantham lives at Downton Abbey."

He had not realized this. On top of everything else he will now have to move his family back into what his daughters call "the big house". They have lived at Eryholme for ten years now and he considers it their home and he knows that so does Cora. He very much doubts that she wants to move back into the Abbey.

"Darling," he says, "I am sure that we can hold that off for a few weeks. Such a move has to be planned."

Cora nods. "Yes. I suppose so. It will give us a chance to say goodbye to our home."

"Downton Abbey will become our home Cora. My mother will have to leave. She can move to the Dower House, or here if she wants to but you will not have to share a house with her."

"Won't I?" Cora asks with so much doubt in her voice that his heart which is heavy with grief for his father breaks into pieces.

"No darling," he says. "She will have to go. If I have to make a choice between my mother and you, I will always choose you."

.

The funeral seems a blur to her. She has never been quite sure how she felt about her husband but now that he is dead she knows that she will miss him dreadfully. He was her companion for many years and they got along rather well most of the time. Especially after both Rosamund and Robert had moved out. They finally had the house to themselves. And now she will have to leave the house because Robert will surely, must move into the Abbey. And her son who is now the Earl of Grantham will not allow her to stay. He will not make his American trollop share a house with her. Although it is just as well that she won't have to live with her daughter-in-law. She has never warmed to her and never will warm to her. Had that woman produced an heir things might be different but that American nanny had not even been able to do that.

She looks up and around the room. They are in the library of course and she sees Cora and Rosamund standing to one side. She cannot hear what they are talking about but to her it seems as if Cora was comforting Rosamund.

"Your ladyship, dinner is ready," Carson announces and she and Cora say "thank you" at the same time. And then it hits her. Her son's bankrupt American nanny of a wife has become the Countess of Grantham. What a shame.

* * *

I hope you like this chapter! There is only one more to go and it will probably be published on Saturday or Sunday.

Let me know what you think!  
Have a great day,

Kat


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

.

Eight weeks later

.

She looks her mother-in-law straight into the eyes.

"We have to move in here and you know that. Robert and I do not have a choice."

Her mother-in-law nods. That woman knows that she has to leave, that all of this now belongs to Robert. But it seems to be very hard for her to actually do so. The Dower House has been finished for a week now. The renovations cost a fortune but Robert quite rightly said that it was important that his mother feel at home in her new house.

"I ran this house and the estate for thirty years," Violet says and looks as if she wanted to challenge her. But she is not going to take the bait. Not today.

"And you did it very well. But running Downton is my job now," she says.

"Yes," Violet says. "But can you do it?"

"I ran Eryholme," she says and Violet laughs at her.

"A house with less than 20 servants."

She shrugs her shoulders. She had known this was coming ever since the day Robert told his mother that she would have to leave Downton very soon. Her husband's mother does not think her capable of running Downton. But she will be able to do it and what she does not yet know how to do Mrs. Hughes will explain to her.

"I know that this is hard for you, but you will have to move out. This is our house now." She feels a little proud of herself for having put her foot down. That is until she looks at her mother-in-law again which is when she wants to eat her words.

.

She cannot help it anymore. She can't stop the tear from dropping, regardless of how embarrassed she feels. She is being thrown out of her home. By her own daughter-in-law. She never would have expected Cora to be so cold-hearted. She never liked her but she had always thought that Cora must have a heart made of gold. She accepted Mary without question. No other woman would have done that, would have turned into the little girl's mother so quickly, if at all.

"You are a horrible person," she spats at Cora and instead of starting to yell or leave the room Cora sits down next to her.

"I am not a horrible person but this is a horrible situation," her daughter-in-law says. "I know that Lord Grantham's death must have thrown you of course and it is terrible to lose your home."

"You know nothing," she replies but Cora shakes her head.

"I know what it is to lose the man you love." Cora is now looking straight at her again and she knows that the girl has spoken the truth.

"What?" she asks. "Did you take a lover and he died?" She regrets those words the moment she has spoken them. She knows Cora would never take a lover. She'd be too scared of the consequences, too scared of losing everything again.

"You know very well I didn't. But I thought I would never see Robert again. That thought devastated me. I might not have realized it at once but that is what was worst about the bankruptcy. That I knew I would never see him again."

"You mean you knew you'd never become the Countess of Grantham."

Cora shakes her head again.

"No. I would have married him for a lot less than this estate and a title. I'd have married him if he had been a middle-class lawyer with a small house in Manchester. Heaven knows, I'd have married him if he had been a chimney sweep. I could have supported us both with the money I earned."

She cannot help the smile forming on her lips now.

"I don't think you have ever been to Manchester. You might have taken Robert as a middle class lawyer in Ripon but not in Manchester. Manchester is terrible."

Cora has to laugh now.

"Well, I could have talked him into moving somewhere else."

"You did that anyway."

Cora looks a little taken aback but then shakes her head.

"No. It was Robert's idea to move out of this house. But I admit that I agreed to it readily."

She nods. She had now idea that her son had initiated the move.

"He must love you very much to have done that," she says and Cora's cheeks have turned to red.

"I think he does. Just as much as I love him."

"That is better than nothing," she says although she still thinks that it is not enough. She still thinks that Robert should have married someone else. He could have taken Cora as his mistress if he really could not live without her. But making her the Countess of Grantham is something he should not have done.

"Stay," Cora says and takes her by surprise completely. "Stay. Not indefinitely, but a few more weeks. Until you have become more accustomed to the new situation. Don't move out just yet."

She would very much like to do just that but Robert has to move into the Abbey. The Earl of Grantham cannot live at Eryholme anylonger.

"Robert has to move here and you have to move with him. If you stay behind at Eryholme with the girls it will create a scandal."

Cora shakes her head. "I know that and we will move here in the next few days. But you don't have to leave the day we move in. It will be good for the girls to spend a little more time with you and it might be good for you too. To see them once a day and listen to their stories. They are quite intelligent, all three of them."

She wonders if Cora is right. If course she won't spent more than an hour a day with the girls but it might be a nice change to always being by herself. She also wonders what it must have cost Cora to allow her to stay.

"Thank you," she says and she realizes that for the first time in eleven years she has said something nice and heartfelt to the woman who seems to make her son happy.

"You are welcome," Cora replies, gently touches her hand and leaves the room.

.

"You didn't have to do that," he says the moment Cora has left the library. He listened to the whole conversation.

"Didn't I Robert?" she asks. "Isn't it my duty as the Countess of Grantham to care about the people around me?"

He smiles and takes both her hands in his.

"I will throw my mother out of this house if she is rude to you or to one of the girls. And she cannot stay forever."

Cora looks at him and smiles.

"Oh no. But I don't think she'll want to. She wants to do things properly and that means moving to the Dower House. But she just needs a little more time and we should give that time to her."

A wave of love for his wife overcomes him then and he kisses her on the lips.

"You are a saint my darling and I love you."

* * *

This is the end of this particular story.

I am planning to write another story, set much later, sometime during seasons five and six. It will not be incredibly long (nowhere near "The Mistress He Loves") but it will consist of much longer chapters than this story. My plan is to plan and write the story completely before publishing it. Once I've finished the story I will stick to a publishing schedule of once a week. I think that is best both for me and also for the readers of my stories. You'll know when there will be an update and I know that I will actually be able to post the whole story, which goes well with my policy of never leaving a story unfinished.

Thank you all for your support and the many reviews!

On a more personal note: I'd like to thank Olivia for her lovely reviews on "The Mistress He Loves". I'd love to write a personal note to you, so if you have an account on fanfiction, just let me know.

Anyway, let me know what you make of the last chapter of this story.

Have a great day,

Kat


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